Archive for the ‘Travel’ Category

Bondi Beach (HDR)

Saturday, September 17th, 2011

bondi beach

Weather for surfing at Bondi Beach, Australia? Wicked.

Did you know that this was considered one of the world’s top 10 pools? Imagine how cool it is when Bondi ocean waves crash onto the chlorine water. Fusion. Awesomeness.

Here’s me being shark bait.

surfing

Oh, and yes, it was an HDR image.

Great Barrier Reef

Saturday, September 17th, 2011

great barrier reef

Decided to charter a plane over the Great Barrier Reef (Cairns, Australia). It was indeed great. What wasn’t great was the nauseous feeling on a tiny plane.

SS Maheno Ship Wreck (HDR)

Saturday, September 17th, 2011

ss maheno

SS Maheno was en route to Japan for scrap metal and ended up on Fraser Island, Australia, in 1935.

Tighter than a Vermicelli Spring Roll

Monday, August 15th, 2011

With the daily grind of a hectic lifestyle, we sometimes get wrapped up in ourselves tighter than a vermicelli spring roll (and you know how tight those can be if you’ve ever had this unique Vietnamese appetizer…yum).

vermicelli spring roll

For those of us who have ever run a business, planned a wedding, managed a classroom of curious 1st graders, or simply gotten through a day of raising children, you know how your day can begin and end in a flash. Sometimes we get so involved with ourselves that we forget to look around us – a bustling community where a million other people are doing their thing each day.

This is one of those moments when you just stop and go, “Hey, there is a world that exists outside of mine!”

During my travels in Sydney, I had this view of an apartment complex just across from my hotel in the CBD (central business district). I stopped to gaze at each little window, saw how each square contained people that were up to their daily shenanigans…and it was so neat to revel in this. I looked from square to square and saw that the people in square 1A were sitting down to a lovely dinner, while the people in square 1B were busting a move on Dance Central on Xbox Kinect. In square 3B, a lady was sitting on her balcony, reading and petting her cat.

sydney apartments

Something about this scene intrigued me. I suppose it reminded me that sometimes we just have to stop and breathe for a moment, so that we can appreciate the rest of the world around us.

As much as we spiral into our own lives, it’s nice to just look outside of our little square, even if just for a moment.

Sincerely,

Lawrence Chan

P.S. Just to be clear, I’m wasn’t trying to be pervy. Don’t go there…just in case you did. =X

Sydney Opera House

Monday, August 8th, 2011

For those who know me well, I’m a travel junkie. I’d rather go exploring than to, let’s say, buy furniture. My friends know. Remember the bean bags and giant stuffed animals Julie and I used as pseudo chairs?

Anyway, we’re currently in Australia. The weather is crisp. The meat pies are delicious. Even though the currency exchange is terrible for Americans, I’m still having a ball.

In our quest to learn about other cultures and histories, we decided to visit Sydney’s iconic Opera House. It was breathtaking. And if you know of its history…even more wow.

sydney opera house

sydney opera house

Our guided tour was awesome! Aside from learning about its history and unfathomable architecture, we got to sit in on some behind-the-scenes practice sessions. There were ballets for an aboriginal dance performance, opera for Of Mice and Men, and an orchestra playing a piece. It was like a sampler platter!

Ciao,

Lawrence Chan

P.S. Australia’s food portions are significantly smaller. I think I like it.